By Freddie Wilkinson
"On the mountain there were no heroes," K2 survivor Cas van de Gevel was recently quoted as saying in Outside Magazine, " just an unspoken agreement that you help as much as you can."
Outside and Men's Journal recently published feature length pieces on the K2 disaster. Both stories lead with the tale of three European men, Wilco van Rooijen, Gerard McDonnell, and Marco Confortola, who bivouaced at nearly 28,000 feet after the catastrophic serac avalanche stripped the Bottleneck Couloir of its fixed ropes on the evening of August 1st. The next day, they were forced to down climb the Bottleneck un-roped. Along the way they passed a party of distressed Korean climbers; the three abandoned them to continue their own descents to safety. Two of them made it, but McDonnell was swept to his death in an avalanche.
While Confortola and van Rooijen can hardly be faulted for not doing more, it does seem like their teammate Cas van de Gevel is right - the tragedy was a grim game of Russian roulette. It was every man for himself.
Yet some extraordinary acts of bravery and selflessness did occur on K2 - you just might have to read the fine print to hear about it.
On a recent trip to Nepal, I tracked down two Sherpas, Chhiring Dorje and Pemba Gyalje, who were among those who summited on that fateful day. I had corresponded with them both via email for my own article in Rock and Ice, and I felt drawn to meet them in the flesh.
Pemba and Chhiring reached the summit at approximately 6.35 and 6.37 PM on August 1st, making history by becoming the first two Sherpas to summit K2 without oxygen. But that's not what makes them exceptional.
On the descent, at least seven climbers chose to bivouac rather than continue down in the darkness. Chhiring, the owner of Kathmandu-based Rolwaling Excursions guide service, continued. When he reached the Bottleneck, he discovered the ropes were missing. Small pieces of ice continually poured down the narrow gully from the serac above. He knew it could release another catastrophic avalanche at anytime. It was imperative to get out of harm's way as quickly as possible. But another Sherpa guide had dropped his ice axe, effectively stranding him, so Chhiring tied him to his harness, and down climbed the couloir with his friend hanging off him. This was at 27,000 feet, in the middle of the night, after he had just summited K2 without oxygen.
Pemba Gyalje also downclimbed the Bottleneck that night. The next morning, he went out searching for his teammates van Rooijen and McDonnell. After returning to camp IV unsuccessfully, he went out again, and eventually found Confortola passed out in the snow. As he revived him with oxygen, they were hit by another serac avalanche. Pemba held on to the helpless Confortola, saving him from being swept away with the slide. Then he walked him back to camp IV, and, rather than rest, descended by headlamp to Camp III, where he rescued his partner van Rooijen the next morning.
Pemba will be making a visit to Washington DC this month to be honored by the National Geographic Society. After speaking to them, it was clear that both men are far too humble to consider what they did that extraordinary. Even so, the cynic in me couldn't help but think that if these guys were from Europe or the States, they'd probably have big money endorsement opportunities, get invited on Oprah and have their faces on the cover of People Magazine.
As things turned out, you have to read the fine-print to hear about them.
So, here is a good look at what two heros look like.
Chhiring
Pemba
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Comments (5)
true!
Posted by arian | November 16, 2008 1:16 AM
Posted on November 16, 2008 01:16
That is a great article. It is nice to highlight the true heroes of the Himalayas. Without the Sherpa people, our current progress would have never come so far. Thanks, Freddie, for the great article!
Posted by The Adventurist | November 16, 2008 3:56 PM
Posted on November 16, 2008 15:56
Mr. Wilkinson,
You are correct that these two men were an inspiration and heroes on the mountain. You are however incorrect in your conclusion that Gerard McDonnell abandoned the Koreans on K2 that day. He did not and Pemba Gyalje's account of the events has given proof to that. Gerard McDonnell was confirmed being seen descending behind the Koreans on the traverse by a radio call made to Pemba from Pasang Bhote who was at the top of the gully. Interestingly, western media has chosen largely to ignore Pemba's account and reports the other two European climbers accounts as what must have happened. Even your article in Rock and Ice sadly missed this point. You quote Pemba as saying "Maybe it was Karim" - what he meant when he said that is maybe it was Karim Marco saw falling - not Gerard. Pemba told me and the family that it is that radio call reporting Gerard descending behind the Koreans, then hit by serac and falling, that convinced him that his good friend and climbing partner Gerard McDonnell would not be completing their dream of climbing K2 together as climbing partners by coming home off the mountain that day. He has expressed to me great frustration with western media on the reports of the events on K2 and great sadness at the loss of his good friend Gerard. It is a horrible tragedy for so many and is compounded by the media. Gerard McDonnell did not abandon the Koreans that day. He continued his efforts to help them until his tragic death.
Posted by Annie Starkey | December 5, 2008 11:59 AM
Posted on December 5, 2008 11:59
Thank you for posting my earlier comment. I would like to add one more correction to the information in this article. Pemba Gyalje was NOT hired by the Norit Team. He was a full team member. www.noritk2.nl lists the team members - Pemba included. I find it ironic that it is "assumed" by western media he was hired simply because he is a Sherpa (a race of people) from Nepal. In addition, Gerard McDonnell was not a sponsored climber. He paid in full for this trip and his other mountaineering trips. He worked hard to make these adventures happen. Gerard and Pemba had dreamed of climbing K2 together as partners since they met in 2003. They made their dream happen this summer. Sadly, Gerard will not be returning home to complete that dream.
Posted by Annie Starkey | December 8, 2008 1:28 PM
Posted on December 8, 2008 13:28
Dear Ms Starkey,
Thank you for sharing your perspective on these tragic events. We are truly sorry for your loss...
the team at MHW
Posted by Cynthia
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December 9, 2008 9:04 AM
Posted on December 9, 2008 09:04